Welcome to another episode of You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I'm your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I’m so excited to introduce Sofia Gillani as my special guest. Sofia is a West London-based artist who has devoted herself to her music through writing, producing, self-promotion and directing music videos– all independently. Her single ‘Read My Mind’ has been featured as BBC’s Artist of the Week. Her authenticity is as undeniable as her talent, and she’s just getting started.

Be sure to check out Sofia’s upcoming single, “Vulnerability,” is out this Friday, available on all streaming platforms. So be sure to check that out, as well as her curated playlist alongside this episode, which you can find in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening, be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod, and I'll catch you next time.

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Sofia’s Playlist

Welcome to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the behind-the-scenes of the music industry. I’m your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I was lucky enough to get to sit down with Abby Jones, staff editor and writer for Stereogum. Her writing has also been featured in Pitchfork, Billboard, Consequence, NPR Music, SPIN, and more. We got to discuss the impressive trajectory of her career, trusting the process, and what it was like when she saw a photo of Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda wearing an excerpt from her article on his t-shirt, circulating on Twitter. Truly a “you had to be there” kind of moment.

Be sure to check out Abby’s curated playlist and socials, which you can find below. Appreciate you listening, and I’ll catch you next time!

Abby's Playlist

Abby's IG

Abby's Twitter

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Welcome to You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I'm your host, Julia Gomberg. After a short summer hiatus, I’m super excited to be back and introduce my latest guest, Erica D’Auora!

Erica is the powerhouse behind Gioia Communications, a PR agency for artists. The name gioia—Italian for “joy”—perfectly captures the passion for music she has carried throughout her entire life. She shares how she went from writing about music as a blogger to building a business that helps artists get their work heard. In this episode, Erica breaks down the steps, lessons, and mindset shifts that shaped her path in the music industry.

Be sure to check out Erica’s curated playlist alongside this episode, which feature some of the artists she works with, and some of her other favorites, which you can find in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening! Be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod, and I'll catch you next time.

Erica's IG

Erica’s Playlist

Welcome to another episode of You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I'm your host, Julia Gomberg. I'm so thrilled to introduce Katie Garcia as this week’s guest. Katie is the Co-Founder of Bayonet Records, an independent music label that she founded with her husband, Dustin Payseur, who also happens to front one of my favorite bands of all time: Beach Fossils.

Katie has been a major inspiration to me since the early days of my career. If I had to sum her up in one word, it would be cool—but that barely scratches the surface. As the Co-Founder of Bayonet, she’s not only built a successful, indie label from the ground up, but she’s also been instrumental in launching the careers of artists like Japanese Breakfast and Phoebe Bridgers. All of this while balancing motherhood and holding things together as her husband, Dustin, goes on the road with the Beach Fossils boys.

Be sure to check out Katie’s curated playlist alongside this episode, which you can find in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening, be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod, and I'll catch you next time.

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Katie’s Curated Playlist

Welcome to another episode of You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I'm your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I'm thrilled to have Leah Lu, Senior Social Media Manager at Rolling Stone. Leah is a social media master, having honed her skills since her early Tumblr years, and now spearheading social media for Rolling Stone. We talk about her close relationship with music throughout her life, her impressive career path, and how it all came together.

Be sure to check out Leah’s curated playlist alongside this episode, which you can find in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening, be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod, and I'll catch you next time.

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Leah’s Curated Playlist

Welcome to back toYou Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I'm your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I'm joined by Jack Cash, frontman of the alt/goth rock band Vesper Rose.

Jack is an impressively seasoned musician with a creative edge for musical themes of punk, goth, horror, and metal. He considers himself to be fairly negative, but I found his perseverance and passion for music to be uplifting and inspiring (with a side of grim). He shares his experiences throughout the years, from moving to LA, to all the ups and downs in between, that have shaped his career into what it is today.

Be sure to check out Jack’s curated playlist alongside this episode, which you can find in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening, be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod, and I'll catch you next time.

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Jack’s Curated Playlist

I’m very excited to introduce this week’s guest, London-based artist, Dirt Flirt. Her music has been described as 'dirty alt-pop'—a genre she’s making entirely her own. We discuss Dirt Flirt’s impressive musical background, including playing guitar for Bimini while opening for MUNA on their UK tour…no big deal. Lately, she’s already surpassed 70,000 streams for her catchy pop hook, Boyfriend, on Spotify alone. Her new single, Necklace, is out today, so you know what to do right after finishing this episode: listen to it! Duh.

Be sure to check out Dirt Flirt’s socials and her curated music playlist alongside this episode, which you can find in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening, and be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod.

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Dirt Flirt's music

Dirt Flirt's curated playlist

Welcome to another episode of You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I'm your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I'm joined by pop singer-songwriter Jenna May. Jenna is such a brilliant songwriter and artist, and each of her songs act as a new page in her personal sonic journal. It was really inspiring to learn about her songs' themes and where she draws her unique creativity and inspiration from.

Be sure to check out Jenna's curated playlist alongside this episode, which you can find in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening and I'll catch you next time.

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Jenna's Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7EG2hjheA4TuK8JLXqJhw1?si=28ad5e7156904251

Jenna's Instagram: @mayroseandmagic

Welcome to another episode of You Had to Be There, the podcast where we deep dive into the world of the music industry. I'm your host, Julia Gomberg. This week, I'm joined by Hugh McIntyre, a Senior Contributor at Forbes who specializes in writing about the music industry and the global music charts.

I've long admired his work, and in this episode, we go into the numbers behind success in the music industry. If you’ve ever been curious about what gets a song to #1, music charting is a secret formula that I walked away having learned a lot about, so I think you will, too!

Be sure to check out Hugh's curated playlist alongside this episode, which you can find below. Thanks so much for listening and I'll catch you next time.

Hugh's Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4AdQ90BG7rkxZSsk7qQQUH?si=76a06654740343aa

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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/uhadtobetherepod

This week, I had the opportunity to chat with Brittany Spanos, a Senior Writer at Rolling Stone, about her knowledge of music, fandom, and what it’s like to have a career covering some of the biggest artists in the world. Her cover stories have featured Dua Lipa, Chappell Roan, Adele, Cardi B, and many more. Brittany also teaches NYU’s first-ever course on Taylor Swift’s cultural and musical influence.

Brittany curated a playlist with this episode that is a must-listen, which you can find in the episode show notes.

Thanks so much for listening, and be sure to follow along on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod. Catch you next time.